1. Field
The described technology relates generally to an organic light emitting diode (OLED) display and a manufacturing method thereof.
2. Description of Related Art
An organic light emitting diode (OLED) display is a flat panel display which can be made lightweight and thin because it has a self-luminous characteristic and requires no separate light source. Particularly, the OLED display exhibits quality characteristics such as low power consumption, high luminance, high response speed, and as such, the OLED display receives much attention as a next-generation display device.
In general, an OLED display includes an organic light emitting element and a thin film transistor for driving the same. A pixel defining layer (PDL) defining a pixel area is formed on the thin film transistor, and the organic light emitting element is formed in the pixel area. The organic light emitting element includes an anode, a cathode, and an organic emission layer. Holes and electrons are injected from the anode and the cathode, respectively, to form excitons, and the excitons make a transition to a ground state, thereby causing the organic light emitting diode to emit light.
The organic light emitting element formed with an organic material may deteriorate in performance when combined with moisture or oxygen, and therefore an encapsulation technique is used in the OLED display to prevent moisture and oxygen from penetrating the display. In general, an encapsulation substrate formed with glass or a metal may be used to encapsulate a display substrate where the organic light emitting element is formed, and the encapsulation substrate may be adhered to the display substrate using a sealant.
The sealant is applied (or coated) between the display substrate and the encapsulation substrate, and hardened by an ultraviolet (UV) laser irradiated thereto. A circuit unit or a wire unit that electrically connects the organic light emitting element with external devices is formed on the display substrate of the OLED display, and when the sealant is applied to (or coated on) the circuit unit or the wire unit, the circuit unit or the wire unit may be damaged during a sealant hardening process.
Thus, the sealant may be applied (or coated) so as to avoid the circuit unit or the wire unit, such that a dead space is increased at the outer side of the display substrate. Particularly, when the OLED display is increased in size, a getter may be additionally formed in addition to the sealing member, and the getter causes the dead space to be further increased.
The above information disclosed in this Background section is only for enhancement of understanding of the background of the described technology and therefore it may contain information that does not form the prior art that is already known in this country to a person of ordinary skill in the art.